International Relations The Struggle General improvement Economic difficulties

Successes of the League Corfu Incident Desire from countries to avoid war

Failures of the League Manchuria Hidden Alliances Invasion of Rhineland Changing memberships Abyssinia

Corfu Incident 1923 Italian general, Enrico Tellini, and 3 assistants were murdered in Greek territory Italy asks for execution of the killers and 50 million lire in reparations Greece couldn't find the killers so Italy invaded August September 27 August 31 August 29 Greece asked the League to help who ordered Greece to apologise and pay reperations Italian forces left Corfu

Invasion of Manchuria Depression Decides to build an empire Invasion of Manchuria China asks the league to help → sent a group of officials led by Lord Lytton to study the problem (this took a year) → ordered Japan to leave Manchuria 1930's 1931 February 1933 I know this sounds all wrong, perhaps immoral, when Japan is flouting the League of Nations, but: 1. she was greatly provoked, 2. she must ere long expand somewhere - for goodness sake let (or rather encourage) her to do so there instead of Australia 3. her control of Manchuria means a real block against Communist aggression. Letter from the Master of Peterhouse, Cambridge University, to his friend John Simon, the British Foreign Secretary (1933)

Invasion of Abyssinia: 1935 Hitler starts breaking the terms of the treaty of Versailles 1930's Countries no longer believe the League of Nations can preserve peace 1935 October 3 rd 1935 Armed Italian forces invaded Abyssinia Abyssinia asked the League of Nations to help → Talked to Mussolini but he used this time to send an army to Africa →Suggested a plan to give part of Abyssina to Italy →banned weapons sales, and put sanctions on rubber and metal →Britain and France secretly agreed to give Abyssinia to Italy (the Hoare-Laval Pact)

Failures “America's consistent refusal to use nothing more than words in support of the League had shown just how toothless and helpless the international community was when it came to enforcing and upholding the peace.” John Costello, The Pacific War (1981) “ Surely we must admit that we have tried to impose upon the League a task which it was beyond its powers to fulfill.” British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain (1936) - Weak powers - America was not a member - The League's structure/organisation was inefficient - World Depression made nations less cooperative - The more the League failed, the less authority it had - Its own members betrayed it and let it down - The League faced aggressive military fascist powers

The League of Nations in 1920

1921: Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania are admitted into the league 1922: Hungary is admitted 1923: Ireland is admitted The League of Nations until 1925

1926: Germany is admitted into the league 1928: → Kellogg-Briand Pact 1932: Iraq and Turkey are admitted 1933: Germany and Japan withdraw 1934: USSR are admitted 1935: → Hoar-Laval plan between England and France → Treaty of Mutual Assistance between USSR and France → Anglo-German naval Agreement The League of Nations until 1935

1937: Italy withdraws 1938: Austria annexed by Germany → Alliance between Germany and Italy 1939: Hungary and Spain withdraw Albania is annexed by Italy USSR expelled → Nazi-Soviet Pact → Axis: alliance between Germany, Italy and Japan (countries recognized the dominance of Germany over Europe and the dominance of Japan over Asia) The League of Nations until 1940